The 2015 South Charlotte Baptist Church Game Plan Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; Philippians 1:27 While Striving Together is not our yearly theme, as it was in 2014, it will remain the overall theme of the church. We must all be reminded of the definition of a Church : A church is a local group of baptized believers who have voluntarily joined themselves together to fulfill the Great Commission. Illustration: Yesterday afternoon, the Carolina Panthers did something that many people did not think that they could do; they defeated the Arizona Cardinals and advanced to the NFC Championship Game. That they accomplished their goal of winning the football game should not be a surprise because that s what they started out to do. What we should most admire is how they accomplished their goal! Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:19-20 Let s keep the main thing the main thing and the main thing is soul-winning! The question should not be, What is our goal? but rather, How will we, as a church, fulfill our goal the Great Commission - in 2015? Or, an even better question is for each of us to ask ourselves, How will I strive together with the other members of South Charlotte Baptist to help our church fulfill the Great Commission? As a reminder It often is not about developing a new game plan but simply better executing the game plan which we already have. Illustration: At lunch this afternoon, I saw a little bit of the Colts/Bengals football game. Something that stood out to me during the time that I watched was the number of times that the Colts players did not take care of the ball. They either dropped the ball or allowed the ball to be stripped out of their arms. You can change your game plan around 1
as much as you would like but if you are not taking care of the football it s not going to matter! 1. The Movement of Guests a. In 2014, we saw over 100 guests come through our front doors. One of the things which we must determine is that we are going to care for our guests in the best way we possibly can! b. First Time Guest i. Statistics tell us that the typical church will keep 14 percent of their first time guests ii. Everyone one of us should be mindful of first time guests. 1. Don t be shy! Don t be shy to go up to someone and ask them what their name is; even if you have to do it several times! Illustration: Visiting Joseph in the hospital and having to introduce myself to the James family. 2. Introduce yourself. 3. Let them know where the bathrooms, drinking fountain, nurseries, etc. are. 4. Make sure that they have a bulletin and encourage them to fill out the Connection Card. Then, after the service, ask if they filled the Connection Card out and turned it in! c. Second Time Guest i. Those same statistics tell us that the typical church will keep about 85 percent of their second time guests. ii. Therefore, we must all do our part to 1. Invite individuals/families to be our guest at SCBC. 2. Encourage those individuals/families to return! d. Regular Attender e. Church Member f. Active Church Member 2. Keep in mind a. From the very beginning, connections are being made that God can/will use to knit people with South Charlotte Baptist Church. b. There is no set time for movement from one stage to the next. c. At some point before an individual becomes a Church Member, our desire would be that they would profess their faith in Jesus Christ as they Savior and follow the Lord in believer s baptism. 2
3. Here are ways to participate. Quote: You will get out of something what you put into it! a. The first Saturday of each month will continue to be called Seed Sowing Saturday. i. Seed Sowing Saturdays are important for several reasons. 1. The bulk of our guests/visitors come from our Jerusalem. 2. We must be faithful to God s command to reach our Jerusalem. Defined for us, I believe that our Jerusalem encompasses a three mile radius around South Charlotte Baptist Church, Pineville, NC. 3. God blesses faithfulness. 4. The goal of Seed Sowing Saturdays is to see first time guests visit SCBC. Illustration: Recent news article, Planned Parenthood teams up with gay activists for door-to-door campaign pushing abortion Sending homosexual individuals door-to-door to speak with people in person was highly effective in changing their view of homosexual marriage, the study found, and the same method is now being employed in an attempt to normalize abortion, with financial backing from the nation s largest abortion provider. Instead of robotically delivering the message, Fleischer told the New York Times, we coached canvassers to be respectful, to listen, to ask questions and dig deeper, and not to judge voters. The data show that in 20 minutes, canvassers accomplished what would have otherwise taken five years at the current rate of social change, ii. Church members in any position of leadership are expected to participate in the outreach/soul-winning ministries of SCBC. b. Community Outreach Events/Activities i. We must consciously realize that every time we step out into the community, we are doing community outreach. Be prepared! Carry tracts. Be conscious of your behavior, your attitudes, your dress. Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ ii. Establish contact with business owners in the Pineville area. 1. Use DVD 3
2. These visits would need to be made during regular business hours. iii. Back Pack Program to Pineville Elementary iv. Reaching out to our Academy parents 1. Use DVD 2. Accomplish this on Monday nights or on Saturdays. v. Our bus workers will also utilize Saturdays to visit their bus routes, seek to increase the number of riders on their buses, and seek to reach the family members of our bus riders. We need additional bus drivers as wells as bus workers that can partner alongside our current bus workers. Illustration: I found this interesting. Yesterday when I got the call that Joseph s mother had passed away, I quickly went to the hospital. When I arrived, the room was filled with people and I went around and introduced myself to those there. One of the individuals was a doctor of Indian decent who had become acquainted with Joseph s family. Her son currently attends the Academy. c. Guest Follow-Up i. This is probably one of the biggest keys to encouraging first time guests to return as second time guest. ii. We have almost completed the transition to a new church management program. iii. Once this transition has been complete, it will allow individuals to more easily participate in the following guest follow-up: 1. Phone Calls 2. Email 3. Post Card/Notes 4. Personal Visits (However, what doesn t get planned doesn t get accomplished. Personal visits best done on Monday night.) d. One-on-One Discipleship i. A structured discipleship program is necessary to help young Christians become rooted in Christ. (Colossians 2:7) ii. It has been exciting to see the growth of this ministry during 2014. We will be graduating our first individual in the next week or so! iii. This will require mature Christians to willingly give & serve for the benefit of others. iv. This ministry benefits everyone involved including the one being disciple, the disciple, the entire church family! 4
Closing: I will share more of this game plan next Sunday evening but for now, think about this. For some individuals here at South Charlotte Baptist Church, participation in these ministries and opportunities is a matter of stepping out of the boat. Some have never stepped out of the boat while others have but gotten back in the boat and need to be encouraged to get out of the boat again! 5